Fort Myers in Lee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Fire Control in Edisonís Time... and Today

By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015

1. Fire Control in Edisonís Time Ö and today Marker

Inscription. In 1909, a major project was undertaken to install a fire control system at the Edison estate. Water for the system was supplied from a well on the east side of the property (across McGregor Boulevard) and directed to three large tanks located on the west side of the property. From there, it was piped to five different locations via a 5-inch underground water main with 3-inch branch pipes.

A standpipe at each location had a hose rack and a reel with 100 feet of 2-inch hose. The standpipes were located at:

. The Main House
. The Guest House
. The Caretakerís Cottage
. The Original 1886 laboratory
. A location on the east side of McGregor Boulevard

Several of these standpipes can still be seen today, including those at the Main House and Guest House.

Today, historic structures at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are outfitted with a state of the art VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus) system, along with a Borrell Mist system.

When fire or smoke is

By Sandra Hughes, October 10, 2015

2. Portable fire extinguishers provided additional fire

control at the Edison estate beginning in 1919.

detected, tiny water droplets and pressurized gas are delivered. As the droplets contact fire, they convert to steam, absorbing energy from the surface of burning materials. As the steam expands, it lowers the fire temperature and prevents oxygen from reaching the fire, which smothers it.

In addition, the porches of the Edison houses feature a water sprinkler system to extinguish any fire outside, along with portable fire extinguishers.

Location. 26° 38.067′ N, 81° 52.804′ W. Marker is in Fort Myers, Florida, in Lee County. Marker can be reached from McGregor Boulevard south of Larchmont Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. The marker is inside the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2340 McGregor Blvds, Fort Myers FL 33901, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 24, 2017. This page originally submitted on November 5, 2015, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. This page has been viewed 93 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 5, 2015, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.